Football

How to Watch Athletic Bilbao vs Man Utd – Europa League Semi-Final Preview, Lineup, H2H, & Score Prediction

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Sushan Chakraborty
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Sushan Chakraborty Sports Editor

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Published01 May 2025

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On a quest to salvage their season, Manchester United will travel to San Mames for the first leg of their UEFA Europa League semi-final with Athletic Bilbao on Thursday night, May 1. SportsCasting explores all the must-know information ahead of the game, including how to watch it in the UK, US, and Canada; form guide, team news, and more. 

Man Utd have had a tumultuous 2024-25 campaign. Ruben Amorim’s side have had more bad games than good. They have suffered heavy defeats against heavyweight teams and barely looked dominant in the games they have won. In the Premier League, Man Utd have amassed only 39 points from 34 games and find themselves toiling in 14th place in the rankings. Since the start of the campaign, they have won just 10 games, losing a whopping 15.

They also fared poorly in both the FA Cup and the League Cup, exiting the former in the quarter-finals and the latter in the Fifth Round. The UEFA Europa League is all they have left this season, but to reach the final in May, they must overcome the dogged Athletic Bilbao over two semi-final legs.

The Basque outfit are enjoying a much better domestic campaign and are sitting in fourth place in the LaLiga rankings. If they can keep their cool, Bilbao have a great shot at securing a place in next year’s Champions League through LaLiga.

How to Watch Athletic Bilbao vs Man Utd in Europa League Semi-Final

How to Watch Athletic Bilbao vs Man Utd in UK

Man Utd fans in the UK can tune in to TNT Sports 1 for the 8:00 PM Europa League semi-final on May 1. Pre-match coverage begins at 7:00 PM BST.

TNT Sports subscribers can also stream the game live on the Discovery+ app and website.

If you cannot make the time to watch the full match, you can catch the full highlights for free via the TNT Sports app and their YouTube channel.

How to Watch Athletic Bilbao vs Man Utd in US

In the United States, no conventional TV channel will telecast the Europa League semi-final first leg between Athletic Bilbao and Man Utd. There are, however, multiple live streaming options to choose from.

Paramount+ is the official streaming partner, but you can also watch via ViX, TUDN, and fuboTV.

How to Watch Athletic Bilbao vs Man Utd in Canada

DAZN is the official broadcaster for the Athletic Bilbao vs Man Utd game in Canada.

Athletic Bilbao vs Man Utd: Team News and Potential Lineups

Athletic Bilbao

Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams has not featured since hurting his ankle in the 1-0 defeat against Real Madrid on April 20. He returned to the bench for the win over Las Palmas on Tuesday (April 22). So, he should be involved in the crucial Europa League clash against Man Utd.

Oihan Sancet, who has emerged as Athletic Bilbao’s top scorer this season with 17 strikes, will, however, miss the match with a hamstring issue.

Athletic Club Potential XI (4-2-3-1): Simon; Gorosabel, Vivian, Alvarez, Berchiche; Ruiz de Galarreta, Jauregizar; Inaki Williams, Berenguer, Nico Williams; Guruzeta

Man Utd

Manchester United, meanwhile, will be without Diogo Dalot, Joshua Zirkzee, and long-term absentee Lisandro Martinez. Amad Diallo, Toby Collyer, and Matthijs de Ligt are nearing a return but will not be ready for the first leg. Finally, Altay Bayindir and Ayden Heaven are also major doubts for the game.

Man Utd Potential XI (3-4-2-1): Onana; Yoro, Maguire, Shaw; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Dorgu, Casemiro; Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund

Athletic Bilbao vs Man Utd: Recent Form & Head-to-Head

Athletic Bilbao Recent Form

Bilbao have been in a decent run of form lately, losing just once in their last 10 outings. The solitary defeat came against Real Madrid in the third week of April. In their previous outing, the Basque outfit claimed a 1-0 win over Las Palmas.

Bilbao Recent Form (Across Competitions): W-L-W-W-D

Man Utd Recent Form

In contrast, Man Utd have been on an abysmal run of form, winning only three of their last ten games in all competitions, suffering three defeats. In their last fixture, the Red Devils played out a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth in the Premier League.

Man Utd Recent Form (Across Competitions): D-L-W-L-D

Athletic Bilbao vs Man Utd: Head-to-Head

The two teams have met in four competitive clashes over the years. Despite having a much more impressive record in Europe, Man Utd have only beaten Athletic Club once, suffering three defeats. United’s solitary success came in February 1957.

Athletic Bilbao vs Man Utd: Prediction

Manchester United are in no shape to beat Athletic Bilbao, especially at San Mames. It would be impressive if they could return to Old Trafford with a one-goal deficit.

SportsCasting’s Prediction: Athletic Bilbao 3-1 Man Utd